Tectonic Hazards and Diasters Flashcards
(38 cards)
Define natural hazard?
A physical event which has a negative impact on people, causing injury, death, loss of property or distruption to life
Define disaster
An event that disrupts normal conditions to a point where a place cannot adjust, with significant loss of life or economic cost
What does the UN state makes a mega disaster?
- more than 2000 deaths
- over 200,000 homeless
- GDP reduced by at least 5%
- dependence on aid for at least a year
What are the factors in a hazard profile? (6)
- magnitude
- speed of onset
- duration
- areal extent
- spatial predictability
- frequency
What is the disaster risk equation?
hazard times vulnerability divided by capacity to cope
What were the root causes of the Haiti earthquake? (4)
- heavily in debt to foreign banks
- government corruption
- 80% of population live below the povery line
- 30-40% of government budget from foreign aid
What were the dynamic pressures of the Haiti earthquake? (2)
- lack of urban planning, disaster prepardness and management and effect education
- rapid urbanisation (slum housing)
- population density of 306 people/ km^2
- deforestation
What was the result of deforestation in the Haiti earthquake?
increased the risk of landslides
What was the population density of Haiti?
306 people per km^2
What were the unsafe living conditions of Haiti?
- buildings on soft soil amplifying seismic waves
- illegal houses on hills
- GDP per capita of US$1300 means buildings were constructed cheaply resulting in vulnerable structures
- poor infrastructure
- poor sanitation
Evidence of poor sanitation before the Haiti earthquake?
39% of population had no clean water and only 20% had access to a toliet
What were the tectonic causes of the Haiti earthquake?
- shallow focus, 13km underground resulting in intense ground shaking
- 25km from Port-au-Prince
- Liquefaction on looser soil cuased many buildings to sink
What were the root causes of the Sichuan earthquake?
- government corruption and corrupt law enforcement leading to poorly constructed buildings
- lack of development in rural areas
What were the dynamic pressures of the Sichuan earthquake?
- people ignored strict building codes
2. limited infrastructure in rural areas
What were the unsafe living conditions of the Sichuan earthquake?
- poorly constructed buildings without steel frames wich could not withstand earthquakes
- people hard to access by relief workers
What was the government response to the Sichuan earthquake?
- 140,000 troops
- 100,000 volunteers including rescue and medical teams
- people in dangerous hilly areas quickly relocated
- pledged $10 billion for rebuilding works
- temporary homes, roads and bridges build in weaks
How many died in the Sichuan earthquake?
87,652
How many died in the Haiti earthquake?
230,000 plus 6900 due to Cholera
How many were made homeless due to the Haiti earthquake?
1.5 million
How many were made homeless due to the Sichuan earthquake?
5 million
what had happened to the $13 billion in aid donated to Haiti as of 2015?
90% remained in the hands of internatonal organisations and governments
What were the results of many Haitian government officals dying in the earthquake?
international organisations needed to provide emergency services
Why were aid organisations unwilling to channel aid money through the Haitian goverment?
political corruption and and mismanagement
Examples of Haitia’s failure to recover from the 2010 earthquake?
as of 2015, 80,00 people were still living in temporary housing and cholera was an ongoing problem
